2026 Europe Winners and Finalists
The Changemaker Award
You don’t just respond to change; you use tech to embrace it.
Recognises agile organisations that have embraced new tech capabilities to overcome challenges and deliver results.
Europe Winner: St. Raphael’s Hospice
Challenge
As hospices across the United Kingdom faced growing funding pressures and increasing demand for services, St. Raphael’s Hospice needed to generate more income while operating as efficiently as possible. The organization had relied on Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge® for more than a decade, but many key capabilities, including consent management, events, volunteer tracking, and Gift Aid functionality, were either underutilized or not fully configured. As the hospice prepared to transition to Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, leadership recognized an opportunity to modernize operations, improve data quality, and build a more sustainable fundraising model during a challenging period for the hospice sector.
Solution
St. Raphael’s used its move to Raiser’s Edge NXT as a catalyst for transformational change. Working with Blackbaud partner solutions and RedArc and Zeidman Development, the team activated previously unused CRM functionality, streamlined data management processes, strengthened GDPR compliance, and automated key fundraising workflows. The organization also implemented online registration, digital giving, Gift Aid optimization, and Blackbaud Integrated Payments™ to create a more connected supporter experience while reducing administrative burden across the fundraising team.
Outcome
The transformation delivered significant operational and fundraising gains at a critical time for the organization. Automation and process improvements saved approximately 60 hours per week, while refined Gift Aid processes helped recover more than £120,000 in additional revenue. The hospice also experienced a 50% increase in donations without increasing staff resources. By fully embracing Raiser’s Edge NXT and its partner ecosystem, St. Raphael’s Hospice transformed fundraising operations, strengthened supporter engagement, and generated sustainable revenue to help safeguard free hospice care for its community amidst an ongoing sector-wide funding crisis.
The Data Strategist Award
Data is your not-so-secret weapon.
Recognises organisations that showcase how data-informed decisions or problem solving have given them a greater edge.
Europe Winner: Cash for Kids UK
Challenge
After completing a major transformation with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, Cash for Kids UK had built a strong data foundation spanning nearly 350,000 constituent records, more than 530,000 gifts, and 22 local fundraising teams. But despite having clean, centralised data, the organisation faced a new challenge: turning information into action. Fundraisers lacked consistent visibility into where to focus their efforts, hidden giving potential remained buried within the database, and local teams needed a scalable way to use data to inform fundraising decisions.
Solution
To transform data into a strategic asset, Cash for Kids developed a new four-part data operations methodology powered by Raiser’s Edge NXT. The approach combined quarterly data snapshots, a standardized engagement scoring framework, recurring data strategy meetings, and a structured training program that equipped fundraisers to use data more effectively. By leveraging lists, queries, work center, the communications module, and Blackbaud partner Zeidman Development, the organisation created a repeatable model that helped local teams uncover opportunities, improve stewardship, and make more informed fundraising decisions.
Outcome
The strategy transformed how fundraisers engage with data across the organisation. Teams now use consistent reporting and analytics to identify dormant donor value, strengthen segmentation, and prioritise outreach. Cash for Kids increased its contactable constituent base by more than 60% through enhanced consent management, achieved a 39.6% email open rate across 263 campaigns, and uncovered significant untapped donor potential through network-wide data analysis. Most importantly, the organisation has embedded a culture where data actively drives fundraising action, positioning it to pursue an ambitious goal of generating £1 million through data-led fundraising initiatives by the end of 2026.
The Futurist Award
Thinking inside the box? No way! You’re a master of tech flexibility.
Recognises organisations that have pursued technological exploration and creativity within Blackbaud’s flexible ecosystem with notable results.
Europe Winner: Durham University
Challenge
At Durham University, donor acknowledgement and receipting relied on a highly manual process requiring significant staff time and coordination across teams. Colleagues were responsible for generating acknowledgement letters and receipts through separate workflows, creating inefficiencies that limited capacity for higher-value fundraising and stewardship activities. The University recognised an opportunity to streamline the process while improving consistency, efficiency, and scalability.
Solution
Durham combined Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® with Microsoft Power Automate to create an automated acknowledgement and receipting process. The solution identifies gifts requiring acknowledgement, generates personalised communications based on gift criteria, saves documents to SharePoint, updates gift records, and notifies colleagues through Microsoft Teams. By building on Blackbaud’s Power Platform capabilities and tailoring the workflow to the University’s requirements, Durham was able to modernise a previously labour-intensive process while maintaining a strong supporter experience.
Outcome
The new process transformed a half-day, two-person administrative task into a largely automated workflow requiring minimal manual intervention. Durham now saves approximately five hours each week, enabling colleagues to focus more time on donor stewardship and fundraising priorities. The success of the initiative has also established a repeatable automation framework that can be applied to additional advancement processes in the future. By combining Blackbaud technology with emerging automation capabilities, Durham has created a more efficient, scalable approach to supporter engagement and operational delivery.
The Silo Buster Award
Silos never stood a chance at your org.
Recognises organisations that have broken down silos and increased collaboration for greater impact.
Europe Winner: Wesco International
Challenge
While Wesco Cares was established as a global social impact program, participation and processes were heavily concentrated in the United States. Across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, local teams were actively supporting their communities, but efforts were often disconnected from the broader strategy. Without consistent governance, visibility, or shared processes, the organisation struggled to measure impact, scale partnerships, and connect regional community engagement activities to broader business objectives.
Solution
Wesco International transformed its approach by embedding sustainability leadership directly into the corporate social impact program and creating stronger connections among communications, sustainability, and business teams. Powered by YourCause® CSRconnect® and Impact Edge™, the organisation standardized global participation tracking, established governance frameworks, implemented charity vetting processes, and launched an EMEA Client Engagement Fund. Regional leaders were integrated into global decision-making, creating a more coordinated approach to employee giving, volunteering, and community engagement across geographies.
Outcome
The changes transformed Wesco Cares from a regionally fragmented program into a globally aligned social impact strategy. Employee participation in the United Kingdom increased 442% year over year, governance and compliance processes improved, and collaboration across communications, sustainability, and business teams became significantly stronger. By connecting people, processes, and technology across regions, Wesco International created a more unified social impact program that enables employees worldwide to engage more meaningfully with their communities while supporting broader business and sustainability goals.
The Rising Star Award
A go-getter with exceptional potential in their field.
Celebrates ambitious individuals at manager-level or below (non-executive or director level) who demonstrate exceptional potential in their field.
Europe Winner: Lauren Gooley, Head of CRM Implementation, Imperial College London
Context
Joining Imperial College London with no prior higher education experience, Lauren Gooley was tasked with leading the implementation of Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM™, one of the most significant technology transformation projects within the Advancement division. The initiative required aligning stakeholders across Advancement, IT, external suppliers, and Blackbaud teams while establishing a shared vision for a new fundraising and engagement platform that would support the university’s ambitious advancement goals.
Leadership
Lauren approached the challenge through collaboration, transparency, and continuous learning. She quickly developed expertise in higher education fundraising while building strong partnerships across departments and project teams. By ensuring stakeholders remained informed, engaged, and aligned throughout the implementation process, she helped coordinate complex requirements, strengthen data quality practices, and establish consistent standards for Blackbaud CRM adoption and usage. Her leadership focused not only on technology delivery, but also on building trust and organisational readiness for long-term success.
Impact
Lauren’s leadership helped deliver a successful Blackbaud CRM implementation that is now viewed internally as a model for collaborative project delivery. Her work strengthened engagement across the Advancement division, improved confidence in organisational data, and positioned the university to leverage Blackbaud technology more effectively to support fundraising and alumni engagement. Beyond the project itself, she has become a respected leader across the institution, recognized for bringing together diverse stakeholders, fostering accountability, and helping Imperial College maximise the value of its investment in Blackbaud technology.
Europe Finalists
Hayley Kenward, Individual Giving Manager, St. Wilfrid’s Hospice
For transforming fundraising operations through Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®—restructuring Campaign, Appeal, and Fund architecture, modernising donation experiences, improving data governance and GDPR practices, and helping colleagues generate approximately 30% more income while supporting end-of-life care for more than 340 people across West Sussex.
James MacGraw, Database Assistant, St. Raphael’s Hospice
For championing Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and Blackbaud partner solutions Importacular and Letter Box Premium, and taking ownership of critical data, reconciliation, event registration, and payment workflows while helping save 60 hours per week, maintain operational continuity, and strengthen fundraising operations during a period of significant organisational change.